This Is My Evolution Path!

After learning that his Martial Soul could feed on its own, Chen Yumo's path of evolution immediately became much simpler.

Originally, he had needed to consider how to combine medicinal herbs so that his Martial Soul could accumulate enough energy and erupt all at once when it obtained a Spirit Ring.

But now that it could feed itself, Chen Yumo only needed to buy precious fresh herbs for it to eat. When the Ice Silkworm consumed medicinal herbs, not only could it naturally accumulate energy, but it would most likely also feed Soul Power back to him, accelerating his cultivation.

Moreover, once Chen Yumo determined the direction of its next stage of evolution, he could feed it herbs with corresponding attributes to fully stimulate its potential in a particular direction.

For example, right now.

What should Chen Yumo's first evolutionary direction be?

He had already thought it through.

For the first evolution, what mattered was not temporary strength, but future potential.

If he wanted to evolve nine times in succession, Chen Yumo could not focus on momentary gains and losses.

The Ice Silkworm's foundation was weak, no different from Blue Silver Grass.

Take Tang San as an example. Under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, his Blue Silver Grass had taken the wrong path, absorbing animal Spirit Rings with poison attributes. While this increased the Blue Silver Grass's toughness and toxicity, it caused it to lose the most fundamental vitality of a plant.

That was because Blue Silver Grass was too weak and too easily assimilated by other external forces.

The Ice Silkworm was the same.

Its origin was equally frail, its bloodline strength nearly nonexistent. It could easily be assimilated by the bloodline of other Spirit Beasts.

Making the Ice Silkworm stronger was simple.

Starting now, Chen Yumo only needed to continuously feed the Ice Silkworm herbs with dragon-blood attributes and the flesh and blood of dragon-type Spirit Beasts. When it reached a bottleneck, he would have the cocooned Ice Silkworm absorb the Spirit Ring of a dragon-type Spirit Beast. Then, when it broke out of its cocoon for the first time, it could successfully evolve toward a Dragon Martial Soul.

Because of its weak foundation, it might even have a chance to evolve directly into a Sub-Dragon Martial Soul during its first evolution, escaping the weak racial limits of the Ice Silkworm.

But if that happened, it would lose its ability to cocoon. After all, once it evolved, it could no longer be considered an Ice Silkworm. How could it retain this species' unique form of complete Metamorphosis?

"Brother System, does my theory hold up?" Chen Yumo asked inwardly.

He was a man with a system. Even if the system would not directly help him evolve his Martial Soul, that did not mean it would not answer some of his questions.

Sure enough, Brother System responded.

[The host's theory is valid, but there must not be the slightest deviation during its implementation. Otherwise, the result of the evolution will be difficult to predict.]

That was what the Ultimate Evolution System said.

Smack!

Chen Yumo clapped his hands together, a confident smile appearing on his face.

As long as the theory worked, the practical part would be easy. He had not read the Encyclopedia for nothing. Nothing Brother System gave him was inferior, and he could now be considered a theory expert.

All that remained was to make a concrete plan and carry it out without wavering.

First, if he wanted to ensure that the Ice Silkworm Martial Soul retained its ability to cocoon after evolving, then during its first evolution, it could not leave the boundaries of its species or have its fundamental nature altered by another animal's bloodline.

In terms of cultivation, the Ice Silkworm was ice-attributed and carried a spiritual attribute.

The spiritual attribute was not suitable for cultivation from the very beginning. Heavenly treasures of that type were far too precious. The ten thousand Gold Soul Coins Chen Yumo had sounded like a lot, but using them to buy such treasures would be like trying to put out a burning cartload with a cup of water. Thus, he could only choose the ice attribute.

The Encyclopedia recorded a unique plant called Cold Mulberry. This mulberry tree grew in bitterly cold regions and was naturally ice-attributed. Both its Mulberry Leaves and Mulberry Fruits carried this trait.

There were many Cold Mulberry trees around cities in the Heaven Dou Empire near the Far North. Although the ice-attributed energy contained within Cold Mulberry was not particularly abundant, it was extremely gentle and very suitable for early cultivation.

There were quite a few herbal shops in Nuoding City. Cold Mulberry was a common plant, so even though Nuoding City was a small city, it would certainly be sold there.

This was the best early food for the Ice Silkworm.

Mulberry Leaves were also the most suitable food for silkworms to begin with.

With the food issue solved, the next matter to consider was the Spirit Ring.

Since he wanted to preserve the Ice Silkworm's racial abilities, Chen Yumo's choice for his first Spirit Ring was already fixed. He could only obtain the Spirit Ring of a butterfly-type Spirit Beast.

Combined with Chen Yumo's early cultivation direction, the Spirit Ring's attribute was also restricted to an ice-attributed butterfly-type Spirit Beast.

Recalling the Encyclopedia's contents, Chen Yumo quickly settled on a type of Spirit Beast.

—Ice Mist Cold Butterfly.

This Spirit Beast might not be powerful, but it was currently the most suitable first Spirit Ring for Chen Yumo. Ice Mist Cold Butterflies lived in the Soul Hunting Forest that Tang San and Yu Xiaogang had visited. They were not rare and were not difficult to hunt.

Its attributes also highly overlapped with the direction of Chen Yumo's first evolution.

Although it had little offensive power, it was likewise primarily ice-attributed and secondarily spiritually attributed. Its survival abilities were first-rate, and the Ice Mist it released also carried the ability to interfere with the mind, preventing ordinary predators from threatening it.

Those were all abilities Chen Yumo needed.

"That's the one!"

The plan was set!

Satisfied, Chen Yumo entered a meditative state and began enjoying the spiritual pleasure brought by his rising strength.

He was not afraid of difficulties. He only feared that there was no hope ahead.

When he had first awakened the Ice Silkworm Martial Soul, he had thought the door to becoming a Soul Master had completely closed before him, and he had nearly fallen into despair. It was precisely because he had experienced despair that he cherished this bright future he could see all the more.

As a transmigrator, Chen Yumo's pursuit of strength was something the natives of Douluo Continent could not understand.

For example, a certain Rogue Rabbit from the same academy.

While Chen Yumo meditated through the night, she hugged Tang San's blanket and slept soundly, utterly carefree.

Elsewhere.

Suppressed screams echoed through the forest beneath the night sky, sending chills down the spine of anyone who heard them.

Beneath a massive tree, Tang San sat cross-legged on the grass with a deep frown. A bright yellow ring of light pulsed at his chest, while not far in front of him lay a Mandala Snake over three meters long, already dead.

He was absorbing a Spirit Ring.

As for the person making those screams, that was naturally Yu Dash.

After being bitten by the Mandala Snake, he had barely regained consciousness after Tang San urgently purged the poison from his body. Yet now, he still had to endure the numbness and dizziness caused by the venom while guarding Tang San as he absorbed the Spirit Ring.

To keep himself from falling asleep, Yu Xiaogang could only pick up a sharp stone. Whenever he felt himself drifting off, he smashed it viciously against his leg, using pain to keep his mind awake.

As the Mandala Snake's Spirit Ring completely entered Tang San's body, Yu Xiaogang's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, and he collapsed onto the ground, falling unconscious.